Doyle was reportedly proud of his work for Secondhand Lions at the time of its release because it served as one of the more varied examples of his talents. He addresses the needs of the Texas location to some extent (with a banjo and slide guitar in only a few places), but his collection of bold and emotionally diverse themes range mostly from the Korngold era of swashbuckling adventure to the lyrical drums and vocals of the African jungle. At the core of the score are those many themes and motifs, and each of them exhibits the same rich harmony and emotional depth that fans of the composer had come to expect. The sense of optimism in all of these statements raises memories of the most flighty moments of Much Ado About Nothing and other hopelessly upbeat ventures. There are snippets of Doyle's flowing romance from his Shakespearian scores as well, but for listeners who have heard Doyle provide these sounds before, the action and adventure material is the truly enticing element here. As for swashbuckling writing, listeners know from his music for Shipwrecked early in his career that he is capable of superb brass statements for the high seas. In Secondhand Lions, many great sea-faring and adventurous ideas are introduced, but few of them last long enough to sustain that level of excitement. The same difficulty arises when enjoying the African cues. The performances of African percussion and Ola Onabue's vocals have the same boyish charm, and yet their appearances are infrequently scattered throughout the film and album as well. Thus, you finish with a collection of Doyle's typically strong ideas, but with perhaps a few too many loose ends to completely satisfy yourself with the overall listening experience. That said, Doyle's ability to compose with simple thematic structures, often with triumphant brass in counterpoint, is what holds this effort together. Nowhere is this heroic spirit more evident than in the French horn performances of "Walter Comes Home," with perhaps even a slight thematic lift from James Horner's Apollo 13 at the end.

The sustained quality of thematic integration in Secondhand Lions causes the score to become what Quest for Camelot could have been if it had not been interrupted constantly by songs and slapstick cues. In fact, for listeners unsatisfied with the underdeveloped nature of much of that 1998 animation film score, Secondhand Lions is a satisfactory solution. A particular highlight of this score is the saddening, but beautiful performance by Doyle's son, Patrick Doyle Jr. (whose voice is outstanding), in the "She Was a Real Lion" cue. That performance is the culmination of the story's touching, sentimental side, reminding the listener that the storytellers who are recalling these adventures from their youths are themselves at the twilight of their lives. Film critics, however, knocked Secondhand Lions for being too sappy and emotionally pure, and some of that overly-dramatic taste may very well have resulted from Doyle's contribution. The composer never yields with his enthusiastic tone, even in the score's few moments of genuine mystery or suspense. Don't expect to hear a moment of extended dissonance to disturb the consistently pleasant atmosphere. On album, the score is presented in 45 minutes without interruption, ending in an elegant piano performance of the film's primary thematic ideas (not as rolling and intense as East-West or Doyle's other heavily dramatic piano work, but rather a softer variant). Although the album offers a fantastic collection of extra multimedia on its enhanced portion (and this time, unlike most albums with enhanced material only pertaining to the film itself, this one is actually relates to the construction of the score, its sheet music, and interviews about the music), the features were inaccessible on Apple Mac computers of the era. Still, collectors of Doyle's work will not want to pass on this album; it presents the composer at his most adventurous and extroverted, and for his fans who had been frustrated with his primarily classical, arthouse scores of recent years, Secondhand Lions was a welcome return to soaring styles of times past.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download